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Opinion

City are catching Victory on and off the park – will the proof be in the pudding this Christmas?

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Expert
17th December, 2019
24

In the world of Melbourne football, City have long been Victory’s poor relation.

One game won’t necessarily redefine that relationship, but this Christmas derby could be a moment to remember as City plot their path to surpass the four-time champions.

City have never had too many issues overcoming Victory on the one-off occasion, but this season is different.

For the first time in a long time, City look the better team on and off the park.

From the appointment of new managers to the acquisition of players, the younger club has outperformed in every department. And if this game goes true to form, this could be their biggest derby win yet.

Of course, the beauty of derbies is that they often follow the formbooks.

City themselves have enjoyed many derby wins, particularly as Melbourne Heart, when on paper they didn’t look like a fair match.

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AAP Image/Joe Castro

The season opener was a bore draw, but Erick Mombaerts’ men have been immense for the most part. Their 4-0 win over Newcastle Jets on the weekend was rightly hailed as one of the best team performances of the season.

City look the A-League’s best chance of breaking Sydney FC’s dominance this season.

Victory, on the other hand, might struggle to even crack the top six.

Plenty of column inches have been eaten up by their woes and last week’s 0-0 home draw against Wellington Phoenix will rank as one of the worst performances this season.

It is hard to remember the last time Victory has been this bad, both as a team and in terms of individual players.

Worse than that, the club seems disorganised off the park. Crowds are falling and there seems a general malaise about the direction under Marco Kurz.

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Perhaps we underestimated how tough the post-Kevin Muscat transition would be.

No doubt, the reasons for such torrid form this season is multi-faceted and not just the responsibility of the gaffer. Who expected players like Kristian Dobras and Jakob Poulsen to be so underwhelming, or Tim Hoogland so injury prone?

Adelaide coach Marco Kurz

Marco Kurz (AAP Image/Julian Smith)

Derby games have a habit of upsetting the odds, however, and Kurz will be hoping for a modicum of good luck to help his side score what may prove a season-defining win.

But if Victory fall into the trap of expecting luck or refereeing decisions to turn this season around, then they are set for a disappointing outcome.

City look a ferocious unit going forward and while Victory’s defence looked slightly more resolute against Phoenix, keeping City out at AAMI Park will prove a different story.

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Off the park, their recruitment has been good, they continue to sign and play exciting young Australian talent, and if they keep playing good football and nail their fan engagement piece, they could become a force to be reckoned with in the coming seasons.

A big win won’t mean City have surpassed Victory as Melbourne’s biggest club, but it might be another step in that direction.

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